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Arrghh .Its so hard to know I am missing out on all the fun and seeing the usual suspects.After already having been to 5 SWC's I had to let the leash be tightned now I am a father.
Best of luck guys and I expect you all to uphold the tradition with a few random acts of stupidity or international incidents.
A couple of photos to see if Barang is right would be good.

Well done to Sumo sammy for a silver for OZ under the guidance of Fearless Leader Katrina.If she looks underwhelmed she is probably exhausted because the IFS work her like a dog and make her get up early then announce during the day and then usually they wont let her leave the office until late at night.Please slip her a tipple to keep her golden tonsils in order.

How is the food?In Japan you were lucky to get any if the big men ever got in front of you.They have a habit of eating it all off before it gets to their plate so they can immediatley refill before they get to the next dish on the smorgasbord
Kanpai

Cleaned up the results a bit as the HTML-ified Excel mess on the site isn't terribly reader-friendly...numbers given in the draws are age, height in cm and weight in kg. Junior Women's results:Lightweight:

Epp Mäe has also won silver medal in females under 80kgs class. She will have great future in amateur sumo , but I feel a little bit sorry for her future husband (unless his name is Baruto )who will lose by yorikiri every night

Junior Men's results. I'm assuming that Abesadze's weight is a data error as he'd be 15 kg above the middleweight limit at his listed weight. Open silver medalist Yoshida is the reigning High School Yokozuna, while heavyweight winner Nagumo was the 2005 Middle School Yokozuna. Anybody know Nagumo is planning to turn pro next spring?Lightweight:

Notable: Nishinoshiima lost his first match to tsuakaasumi by oshidashi, then to fausto of italy by uatenage. (ive gone up against fausto in tournaments twice, lost both times by uatenage. He is an italian judo champion. Kenna Heffernen of "sumo when east meets west" fame won his first two matches before losing to a hungarian. He didnt get to go to repachage.

Notable: 2 time defending world champion Byamba falls to 3rd place after losing by oshidashi to eventual japanese gold medalist. American Kelly Gnighting who finished 4th last year, lost in the first round and did not get a repachage match.

Notable; Like byamba, another favorite falls to 3rd place after losing to Jaroslav Poriz. Masahiro Yamaguchi lost his first match, so Japan couldnt sweep the medals. American Dan Kalbfleish lost his first match to the Bulgarian counterpart, but in repachage beat Julio Vierra from brazil and Dezso Libor from hungary only to draw ALan karaev in the 3rd place match, and lost.

Team Competition

1. Russia
2. Japan
3. Poland; Mongolia

Notable: USA in its first match drew Switzerland and won 3-0. Kelly Gnigting beat mark hald, Dan beat yannick rossi, Kenna vincent heinger. In japans first matchup, middlweight champion Yoshida actually lost to Egypt's Ramy Balal, but japan still won 2-1 to advance. In the second round, Dan beat Georgia's Alex DAVITASHVILI but Kelly and Kenna lost, putting USA out of medal contention. In the semifinals, russia beat mongolia 2-1, with mongolia's only victory being former world champion byamba. Japan beat Georgia 2-1, with their only loss being Masahiro yamaguchi. Mongolia crushed bulgaria 3-0 for third place and in the final russia beat japan 2-1 with the only loss being bagaev to Yamaguchi.

As far as potential "Aran's" (going from world championships to ozumo), not many are young enough to, but perhaps the following turned some oyakata heads with their performances:

OKRUASHVILI, Adam Georgia. 19 years old, 192cm 140kg. Lost his openweight matches but quite a big boy. In the team competition he won two matches.
BALASHVILI, Zaza Georgia 18 years old, 192cm 135kg. Unknown...he didnt even have any matches.

YAMAGUCHI, Masahiro 18 years old, 182cm, 150kg - Lost a few, but pretty young, i think ozumo might be in his future.

GANKHUYAG, Naranbat 24 years old, 186cm 167kg - Not sure if he is too old already. But blew through the openweight competition.

MARGIEV, Vasily 24 years old, 199cm, 150kg - Again, unsure if he is too old already. 3rd place in heavyweight is pretty good.

All lightweight medalists above age of 24. All middleweight medalists above age of 24 except for KAZIEV, Atsamaz, but he is 24, even if he were young enough, i dont think a heya would pick up a middleweight "old" foreigner, especially a russian at this point. The only heavyweight eligible (possibly) for ozumo is the aforementioned Vasily from Russia. Even the japanese is 26 years old.

By the way i still think world championships is about high makushita level for heavy and openweight.

We have recent guy slike shimoda, ichihara, aran, who all showed (or were at) high makushita level when entering ozumo right after world championships. Then we have guys like byamba (ex daishochi), who was at high makushita before retiring, and has won 2 of last 3 tourneys. Kokkai's brother who only got to high sandanme before retiring didnt do all that well.

Im curious to see eye witness accounts of juniors. There are a lot of big bodies that participated, wondering if any have future potential or were they just bigger than the other kids.

Meelis Höövelson (Baruto´s brother) and other Estonian men did not perform very well. It seems that girls and women rule Estonian sumo when the Great One (Sekiwake West in coming Fukuoka Basho) is in Japan

OK, I think this is probably the former Ishigaya Satomi who has been competing for many years. She was at Nichidai and then was training/coaching there after she graduated. I'm guessing she has now married (probably in the last year) and am hugely speculating but thinking she might be married to Taira-san, former Dewataira, who is a coach at Nichidai. Can anyone confirm my suspicions (most likely to be Nishi or perhaps Katrina if anyone can ask her)?

after some hours of sleep i think i am ready to post some thoughts on the World Champs.

Fist of all .... don't pay any attention to the official kimarite announced. at least half of the yorikiris and the uwatenages were nothing like that. It was as if the announcer didn't know anything else. I can give you some examples on the juniors' matches (when i kept a manual record) but it won't have a real point. Just keep in mind that the official kimarite are probably in random.

Second of all .... i have to thank everyone that i met in Estonia and helped me have a great time. It was really one of my best trips and as John put it, i did everything except compete (which i'll make a reality next year). I did some training, i went to all the parties, i drunk as much as possible, i met old friends, i made some new ones and i've put faces on some forum members that i wanted to meet for a long time.

so .. let's move on to sumo.

I have to give the "BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE TOURNAMENT AWARD" to Jaroslav Poriz who was like a mysterious wrestler of old Lucha Libre times. He was nowhere to be seen the previous days, he came in the arena just to fight, HE BEAT ALAN KARAEV !!!!, he came back on the dohyo for the final WITH A BROKEN FOOT barely taped by himself and then disappeared again without even getting his medal (he was in the hospital). I am very happy that i met him on the airport on my way back (we were in the same plane to Prague) and congratulated him for a truly amazing performance. Photos will follow and i have the "elusive" Mr Poriz in one of them. (Jakusotsu-san ... you knew if there was anyone to find him somewhere it would have been me )

"BEST PERFORMER (as in showman) OF THE TOURNAMENT AWARD" goes to Haitham Alsadi of the Netherlands who slapped around many opponents, sent kisses to the crowd, kissed his Egyptian opponent after beating him more emphatically than he wanted, helped his Japanere opponent find his way on the edge of the dohyo after some head bashing he dealt him and above all ... because he is a true gentleman, friendly and talks politely to anyone who approaches him. And he is 38 years old but still there, fighting.

i'd also like to give the " BEST TACHI-AI OF THE TOURNAMENT AWARD" to Brazil's Takahiro Higuchi who may be too modest to accept it but his tachi-ai was by far the most powerfull and straight forward of all. He fought in the heavyweight division even thought he was only 117 kilos and could have won a medal if he didn't have to face Byamba in the bronze medal decider. Mind that he is also a fellow-forum member ... (you didn't know that did you?)

"BEST PERFORMANCE ON THE DANCEFLOOR BUT WORST ON THE DOHYO AWARD" goes to a member of the Italian delegation .. i won't name names though ....

"MOST DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE OF THE TOURNAMENT AWARD" goes to George Tsaguria (Tsukasaumi) who manages to beat only John and Massimo the whole day. He lost all the important ones (i am not complaining that he lost to Zaragueta of Brazil) and he was a substitute in the team's event. He fought a match for his team though which he lost again and got himself injured in the process.

some other minor details.- Estonian people are very friendly ... especially the girls - Giving free beer and vodka at the after-party was a great idea. No wonder the Argentinian, the Brazilians, the Italians and the Egyptians almost torched the place. Forgot the Polish who performed some mediocre strip-teases but added craziness to the event.

ooops .... i am running out of time ... i'll continue this post later.

I have to give the "BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE TOURNAMENT AWARD" to Jaroslav Poriz who was like a mysterious wrestler of old Lucha Libre times.

This is what Czech Press Agency (CTK) has published today in the morning (sorry for limited translation skills):

Jaroslav Poriz has defended his vice-champion title from the Sumo World Champs. In Estonian Rakvere he fought his way to the open-weight category finals, where he lost to Mongolian Naranbat Gankhuyag. On the last Champs two years ago in Japanese Sakai he was also ranked second reaching then historical success for Czechia in the prestigious category of WC. In the semi-finals this year Poriz met multiple world champion Alan Karayev from Russia, giant weighing 240 kg. Poriz was able to beat him despite 100 kg handicap, but Karayev falling on his leg broke him "sole bones“(?). Therefore Poriz could challenge gold just with one healthy foot and his foe, 200 kg weighing Gankhuyag, who left the professional sumo before the tournament, has beaten him after struggling fight. The fighter of Dukla team has collapsed right after the finals and had to be taken to the hospital missing the medal ceremony. Poriz as one and only amateur sumo fighter in the world has the right to use "shikona“: he is known as Shiroikuma (White Bear). His performance has attracted attention of the "council of japanese elders“, which honored him with a "Strongest Fighter of the WC Award“ and named him "Amateur Yokozuna“. This is the first time this title is given to a non-Japanese.

Here is my inside view of the WSC 2008, (not in any particular order of time or importance)

1- Very pleased as I at last was able to put a face on my Irish-Japanese rival in the women's equality on dojo fight...
2- Best sayonara meal I've participated in since Vicegrad European's in 2005
3- Very best AFTER sayonara party ever, (except maybe for the exactitude of some of the singing)...
4- Very WORST welcome party ever: team presentations were OK but local estonien songs sound like orcestrated slaughter houses... Now I know where Hollywood gets it's sound tracks for gore films !!!
5- Great lodgings: staying in Vinni in the hotel directly above the dojo where Baruto used to train (sort of a pilgrimage ! ) and free access to pool sauna training room great extra.
6- Finally got my world referee licence after 2 years.
7- Got to do the annoncements of men's and women's heavy and open categories because the Japanese where worried about Katrina voice going. (felt like walking into a shrine !)

Overall a great experience which will be remembered for a long time.

A few things I learnt or heard while there:
- As replacement annoncer the kimarite were whispered to me by a japanese officiel whose job it was to decide which one it was!
- The junior heavyweight japanese guy (the one with the orange mawashi) is going Ozumo next year.
- Jaroslav Poriz is highly suspected of doping as when he was asked to provide a urine sample by the officiel japanese anti-doping control doctor, he violently hit out at the security guard at the door, ran out of the room, jumped into a car and drove off. The ISF and the ESU are getting the WADA (World Anti-Doping Associationt) to investigate.
- The two junior russian wrestlers were annonced as absent after the ISF committee informed all nations that all medal winners and 40 other randomly selected wrestlers would undergo antidoping controls.